Newsletter: City Pulse Istanbul Nisantasi beyond the shop windows Also this week: Hopdaddy burgers, Ara Guler’s photographs and Istanbul’s apartment stories. By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir and Istanbul, reporting on culture
Costa Rica's Grynspan extends lead in UNSG poll as Nusseibeh places fourth The Costa Rican candidate received 12 encourage votes in Thursday's UN Security Council straw poll. United Arab Emirates
Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Turkey
Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift? A dispute over religious dress in schools has exposed deeper tensions between the two allies, with energy, arms sales, Israel and financial interests adding to the strain. Turkey
Kurdish National Congress Seeks Unity Amid Divisions The Kurdish National Congress, to be held in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region on Aug. 24, will seek a common agenda for Kurds divided over the war in Syria. Iraq
Turkey’s Secret 'Ancestry Codes' Track Non-Muslim Minorities Turkey has been secretly coding its Armenian, Greek, Jewish, Syriac and other non-Muslim minorities since the beginning of the republic in 1923. Turkey
Turkish Judicial System Takes Blow in Ergenekon Verdict Huseyin Celik, spokesman of the ruling Justice and Development Party, says if Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of Turkey, was alive, he would not even allow the defense lawyers in the Ergenekon trials to "peel potatoes." Turkey
The White, Black and Gray Of the Ergenekon Trial That fervent belief in secrecy is behind the excesses of the Ergenekon case in Turkey. Turkey
Turkey’s Tentative Iranian Spring Although Iran is not expected to change its Syria policy, working with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani may help ease regional tensions. Turkey
Another Byzantine Church Becomes Mosque in Turkey The recent conversion of a Byzantine church in Trabzon from a museum to a mosque is prompting worries that Hagia Sophia in Istanbul might be next. Turkey
How Turks Misinterpret Ergenekon Following the verdicts of Turkey's Ergenekon case, are Turks having the right kinds of discussions? Turkey
Former Chief of Staff Is a Convicted 'Terrorist' One needs to worry for younger Turkish generations as to what it means when the courts send Ilker Basbug, a former chief of general staff, behind bars for life as a “terrorist organization leader.” Turkey
Turkey’s Ergenekon Verdicts: Justice or Vengeance? After a case that lasted five years, more than 250 Turkish defendants were charged with belonging to "Ergenekon" and plotting an overthrow of the Erdogan government and were sentenced to, in some cases, life in prison. Turkey
Ergenekon Verdicts Mark Milestone for Turkish Democracy With the Ergenekon verdicts, Turkey is taking a very critical step on the path to true democracy. Turkey
Kurdish Civilians Fear Reprisals in Northern Syria Syrian Kurdish opposition groups claim rebel forces may be targeting Kurdish civilians. Syria
Border Clashes Confront Turkey With 'Afghanistan of the Levant' Clashes adjacent to Turkey's border with Syria have the potential of causing a lot of headache for Turkey, not only for their security implications but also for the international image of Turkey and the country's relations with allies, primarily the United States. Syria